Rotary internal-combustion engine



Nov. 13, 11923. 11,473,656

J. H. WAGENHORST ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Original Filed Sept..8, 1917 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 6 5 9 3 7 w 1 T s R O H N E G A W H I Nov. 1311923.

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Original Filed Sept. 8 1917 4Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 13 11923. 11 ,41-73,65@

J. H. WAGENHORST ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE 8 917 i 4Sheets-Sheet 4 d M JM7Z61V Ila 2 1/2 Patented Nov. 113, 11923.

UNHTED STATES rennet JAMES H. WAGENHORST, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

ROTARY INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application filed September 8, 1917, Serial No. 190,298. Renewed March16, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES H. WAGE HoRsr, a citizen of the United States,residing at Jackson, in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan,have invented a certain new anduseful Improvement in R- taryInternal-Combustion Engines. of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates generally to internal combustion engines and moreparticularly to an internal combustion engine of a rotary type.

The object of the invention is to provide a. motor which is balanced andfree from reciprocating parts, and one in which the piston friction isreduced to a minimum and the radiating surface about the explosionchamber increased to a maximum.

Another object is to provide a motor in which the compression chamber isindependent of the explosion chamber thereby securing mixtures ofgreater density.

Another object is to provide a motor in which the compression andexplosion chambers and their parts act as a fly wheel, and in which theweight of the engine per horse power output is reduced to a minimum andthe revolutions per foot of piston speed increased to a maximum. Themotor being of the rotary type eliminates vibration.

A motor of the kind hereinafter described is particularly adapted forthe use of gasoline as a fuel in view of the fact that the motorrevolves in the air which is a part of the explosive mixture, eliminatinthe difficulties attending packing, as both the intake and exhaust ofthe explosive can be easily accomplished while the motor is in motion.

Another ob'ect of the invention is to reduce the num er of parts,\nointake or exhaust valves being required, only a valve connection betweenthe compression and explosion cylinders being set to determine initialmixture compression, thisvalve being interposed between the compressionand explosion cylinders, and prevented from opening by either spring ormechanical means.

With these objects in view, and with other objects which will becomeapparent as the description proceeds, the invention may be said toconsist broadly in providing two rotary cylinders or chambers rotatingin unison, one of said cylinders or chambers being a compression chamberand the other .a firing or ignition chamber, the compressed charge beintransferred from one chamber to the other, the impact or motive force ofthe explosion being utilized to cause the chambers to rotate and performall the necessary operations of intaking compressing, transferring andfiring.

The invention consists also in providing an internal combustion engineof the rotary type in which the cylinder is caused to rotate and therotary motion of this cylinder itself utilized for accomplishing thework to be performed.

An internal combustion engine of the character described is particularlyadapted for aeroplane, automobile, motor boat and submarine engines, andin aeroplane engine structures the blades of the propeller can beconnected directly with the hub of the ro-" tating cylinder, and in theautomobile, motor boat and submarine engine structures, the drivenmember can be directly connected with the hub of the cylinder.

The invention consists also in certain details of construction andnovelties of combination all of which will be fully describedhereinafter and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification Fig. l is asideelevation; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, Fig. 3 is a centralsection through the compression cylinder, Fig. at is a central sectionthrough the explosion cylinder; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view;Fig. 6 is a detail on the line 66 of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a detail of thegas connection; Fig. 8 is a detail of the timer looking toward theengine; and Fig. 9 is a detail of the timer in the opposite direction.

In the practical embodiment of my invention I employ a shaft 10 which atone end is mounted eccentrically in a bushing 11 which is journaled in abushing 12. At the opposite end the shaft 10 is eccentrically mounted ina bushing 13 which is arranged in the hub portion of a cylinder ashereinafter explained.

C linders 14 and 15 are mounted upon sha t 10 and rotate after the same,the hub portion 1& of the cylinder 14: turning upon the bushing 11 whilethe hub portion 15 of the cylinder 15 contains the bushing ,13heretofore referred to, the hub portion ing.

15 being rigidly connected by a key or otherwise to a combined journaland support 16 mounted in a suitable bearing 17.

The cylinders 14 and 15 are rigidly connected together and moved inunison. The cylinder 14 may be designated the intake and compresssioncylinder and the cylinder 15 the firing and exhaust cylinder and withineach cylinder is arranged what may be termed a piston'or impeller, saidpiston or impeller in each instance consisting of a cylindrical shapedmember 18 and a blade 19. The cylindrical member 18 mounted within thecylinder upon the shaft 10 turns loosely thereon in unison with thecylinderand the blade 19 is connected to the cylinder 14 andreciprocates in a slot or slide way 20 cut in the member 18, beyond thecenter of 18 and adjacent thereto. This blade has a limited vibratorymovement with reference to the cylinder 14 and a limited reciprocatingmovement with reference to the member 18 due to the fact that thecylinder 14 turns upon the bushing 11 and the member 18 upon the shaft10 which is. eccentric with reference tosaid bush- It is thereforeobvious that as the cylinder 14 rotates the piston, consisting of themember 18 and blade 19, will be constantly changing their posit-ionswith reference to the interior of the cylinder; and the crescent shapedspace between the said parts constantly shifting around the entirecircumference of the cylinder.

As previously stated the member 18 is slotted to receive the blade 19,the outer end of this blade being rigidly secured to a cylindrical pin21 which fits in a suitably recessed boss 21 formed in the wall of thecylinder, there being an opening 22 made in the wall of the cylinder andcom municating with the recess of the boss and through which the bladeextends, the walls of this opening being inclined as shown at 22 inorder to permit of the vibration of the blade. An intake opening 23 ismade in one side of the cylinder and 'to which leads the intake pipe 24extending from the intake manifold 25 which is in communication with anysuitable form of carbureter 26.

The'mixture entering the cylinder through the opening 23, which is uponone side of 'the piston is caused to travel around to the opposite sidethereof by the shifting of changing movement of said piston and duringsuch movement the charge becomes compressed. Adjacent to the recessedboss 21, but upon the side of the blade opposite to the inlet opening23, is an outlet opening 27 which is closed by means of a valve 28 untilthe pressure within the cylinder 14 reaches a predetermined limit, sayeighty pounds, at which time the valve 28 is unseated and the compressdcharge is forced or bushing 36' exactly the same as viously describedand which fits in the reout through the outlet opening 27 into apassageway or conductor 29 which leads to the cylinder 15 and deliversthe compressed charge thereto.

There may be various ways of maintaining the valve 28 seated until theproper pressure has been obtained and in the drawing I have shown oneform in which the stem of the valve is projected through a suitable boss30 formed upon the cylinder, and bearing upon said stem is one end of alever 31 pivoted to a boss 32, the end of said lever being somewhatenlarged and bearing upon a coil spring 33 arranged between a boss ofthe cylinder and the end of lever; and the centrifugal force acting uponthe weighted end of the lever 31 will aid materially in maintaining thevalve 28 seated and by the employment of a properly tensioned spring thevalve can be so regulated as to open immediately the predeterminedpressure has been obtained, but not before. The cylinder 15 isconstructed exactly the same as thecylinder 14 and it has therein apiston or impeller comprising a cylindrical member 34 and a blade 35,this cylindrical member being slotted to receive the blade and permitsliding movement of the same therein and the outer end of this blade isfitted into a cylindrical pin preccssed boss 37 and there is an opening38 corresponding with the opening 22 previously described and the wallsare beveled as shown at 38. g

In all respects the construction and arrangement of the pistons are thesame in both cylinders except that it will be noted that they arearranged at oblique angles to each other, that is their pivotal ends areapproximately 140150 apart. It will also be noted that each blade worksback and forth in its respective circular member close to the center ofsaid circular member.

The conductor or passage29 leads into a manifold or chambered boss 40formed upon the exteriorof the cylinder and an intake opening 41 isprovided through which the compressed charge is delivered into thecylinder upon one side of the blade 35, and

comparatively close thereto, and in the side of the cylinder but notprojecting therethrough is a spark plug 42'having electrical connectionwith a suitable distributing contact 43 mounted upon the hub of thecylinder and adapted to deliver the spark at the proper time to ignitethe charge when the same has been delivered in suflicient quantity intothe space 43,- .and when the ignition occurs the impact of the explosionis exerted against the walls of the cylinder and impeller including theblade and the cylinder is caused to rotate and this rota"- tion of thecylinder causes the shifting of the parts as previously described andthe spent gases pass from one side of the impeller or pistonto theopposite side and passes out through the exhaust opening ad.

The shaft 10 is made stationary by securing the same to the, bushing 11by means of a set screw 45 or any other suitable means, and the bushing11 is made fast in'the bear ing 12 by means of a set screw 46 orotherwise. At the opposite end the shaft is made fast to the bushing 13by means of a set screw 47 and it will be noted that this-set screwpasses through an opening in the hub 15 of the cylinder so that the saidhub is free torotate about said bushing. Whenever it is desired toadjust the relative positions of the moving parts with reference to oneanother it can be accomplished by releasing the set screws and eitherturning the shaft 10 slightly in the proper direction or holding theshaft stationary and turning the cylinders to the proper extent and thenretightening all of the parts.

I have shown the cylindrical portions of the impellers or pistons ascomposed of two longitudinal sections provided with lap joints-50, therebeing a packing ring 51 between said sections, and in the fates of thecylindrical portions of the pistons where they contact with the ends orheads of the cylindrical casing there are grooves 52 which may besupplied with packing if desired, but in practice I have found that anair pocket will be provided and which will serve practically the samepurpose.

Openings 60 are made in the sides of the cylinders, and openings 61 inthe walls of the cylindrical portion of the impeller in order that theengine may be air cooled, the air being drawn through as the cylindersrotate.

The cylinders are spaced apart a short distance, by spacing blocks 62arranged between the same and the sides of the cylinders and said blocksbeing rigidly bolted together. These details of construction withreference to the cylinders may be varied or changed without departingfrom the broad principle of the invention and instead of having theengine air cooled it may be water cooled. water being introduced throughthe central shaft and directed to the interior of the im )ellers.

The shaft 10 is firmly supported at each end and the cylinders turningupon their bushings which are properly held relieve the shaft of allstrain or torque.

In operation the motor is started by rotating the cylinders and anexplosive charge is drawn in through the opening 23 as the impelleruncovers said opening and this charge is forced around to the oppositeside of the impeller or piston and forced out through the opening 27when the proper pressure or degree of compression has been obtained. Asthe valve 28 is unsea'ted the charge rushes through the passage orconductor 29 into the manifold 40 and out through the opening 41 intothe space 43 where ignition occurs through the spark 42. The impactoperates upon the blade and this being pivotally connected to the outercylinder or case, carries the same around and, inasmuch as thecylindrical portion of the impeller and the outer cylinder or case areeccentric with reference to each other the contacting walls of theseparts will be constantly shifting their position with relation to eachother so that the exploded charge will be carried around to the oppositeside of the blade and forced out through the exhaust opening.

The cylinders lat and 15 being rigidly connected together move inunison, and the blades being connected to the outer cylinders or casingsand reciprocating in the inner or cylindrical portions of the impellersor pistons cause all of said parts to move in uni son and the blades ofthe cylinders being arranged in opposed relation the continued rotationof the cylinders causes the succes sive charges to be sucked in,compressed, trapped between the two pistons and fired the motive forceof the explosion continuing the rotation of the cylinders andconsequently the movements of all the parts necessary to effect thecomplete operation of the device.

By the construction herein shown and described I am able to produce amotor consisting of an exceedingly small number of parts so arranged asto eliminate wear and friction to a very large extent and furthermore itwill be noted that the relative arrangement of the moving parts is suchthat the engine as a whole is practically balanced and furthermore "i amenabled to connect the working parts direct to the cylinder receivingthe initial impact and by having the shaft supported at each end. andthe cylinder rotating between fixed bearing points, all troque strainsare eliminated. Furthermore in an engine of this kind all negative workis avoided.

Having thus described my invention, what- 1 claim is 1. The combinationwith a shaft. of a plurality of cylinders mounted upon said shaft andmoving in unison, said cylinders communicating with each other, meansfor compressing a charge in the first mentioned cylinder, means forreleasing said charge at a predetermined pressure and delivering thesame to the second cylinder, means for igniting said charge in thesecond cylinder, and means contained within said second cylinder forreceiving the force of the explosion.

2. The combination with a shaft, of a plurality of cylinders arrangedthereon and moving in unison upon said shaft. communicating meansbetween said cylinders, a

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movable member within the first cylinder for efiecting the intake andcompression of a charge, means for delivering the charge from the firstmentioned cylinder to the second cylinder at a predetermined pressure,

means for igniting the charge 'at the entrance of the second cylinder,and a movable member contained within said second cylinder, andreceiving the impact of the explos1on.

3. In an internal combustion engine of the kind described, thecombination with a pair of cylinders adapted to rotate in unison about ashaft, each cylinder having a piston mounted upon said shaft and havingconnection with its respective cylinder, each piston having a blademember, the blade members being arranged at oblique angles to eachother, each cylinder having inlet and outlet openings, comn'iunicatingmeans extending from the outlet opening of one cylinder to the inletopening of the other cylinder, means for supplying an explosive chargeto one cylinder and means for igniting the charge in the other cylinder.

4. Inan internal combustion engine of the kind described, thecombination with a pair of cylinders mounted upon a shaft adapted torotate in unison, each cylinder having inlet and outlet openings,communicating means between the outlet opening of one cylinder with theinlet opening of the other cylinder, means for delivering an explosivecharge to one cylinder and means for firing a charge in the othercylinder, a piston in each cylinder mounted upon the shaft. connectedwith the cylinder and movable therewith, the piston of one cylindereffecting compression of the charge delivered to the said cylinder, thepiston of the other cylinder receiving the impact of the explosionwithin said cylinder and affecting the rotation of said cylinder and theexhaustion of the spent gases.

5'. In an internal combustion engine of the kind described, thecombination with a pair of cylinders mounted upon a shaft and adapted torotate in unison, of pistons arranged in each cylinder, mounted upon theshaft, and connected with their respective cylinders, the piston of onecylinder efi'ecting compression and the piston of the other cylinderreceiving the impact of explosion, each cylinder having inlet and outletopenings, communicating means between the outlet opening of one cylinderwith the inlet opening of the other cylinder, and means for maintaininga definite pressure within the compression cylinder before permittingthe transfer of the compression charge together with means for supplyingand ignit, ing the charge.

6. In an engine of the kind described, the combination with a fixedshaft, of a pair of cylinders mounted to rotate thereon in uni- Wamson,a piston in each cylinder comprising a 1 cylinder portion and a blade,each blade having a pivotal connection with its respective cylinder anda reciprocating movement with its cylindrical member, each cylinderhaving an inlet and outlet opening communicating means between saidcylinders, means for supplying an explosive charge and means for firingthe same.

7. In an engine of the kind described, the combination with a fixedshaft supported at each end by eccentric bushings upon the ends of saidshaft, cylinders connected together and rotatable upon said bushings, apiston in each cylinder comprising a cylindrical portion mounted uponthe shaft and a blade portion having pivotal connection with thecylinder and reciprocative connection with the cylindrical member, eachcylinder having inlet and outlet openings, communicating means betweenthe cylinders. means for supplying a charge to one cylinder and meansfor exploding a charge in the other cylinder. g

8. In an engine of the kind described, th combination with a fixed shaftof the eccentric bushings upon the ends of said shaft,a pair ofcylinders connected together and adapted to rotate in unison upon thesaid bushings, each of said cylinders having inlet and outlet openings,communicating means between said cylinders, means within one cylinderfor effecting compression of a charge, means connected with saidcylinder for supplying a charge, means within the other cylinder forreceiving the impact of the explosion and means connected with saidcylinder for firing a charge, said cylinders having the working partsconnected directly therewith. a

9. In an internal combustion engineof the rotary type the combinationwith a fixed shaft, of chambers rotatable about said shaft, meanscontained within one chamber for effecting .compression, means withinanother chamber for receiving the impact of an explosion, together withmeans for conveying a compressed charge from one chambeer to the other,the impact receiving means being connected with the chamber whereby saidchamber is caused to rotate.

10. In a device of the kind described, the combination with a stationaryshaft, of a plurality of cylinders rotatable thereon, each cylinderhaving inlet and outlet openings, means for supplying an explosivecharge to the first cylinder, a piston within said cylinder, said pistonand shaft being adapted to receive. a cooling fluid, means for conveyingthe compressed charge from the first cylinder to the second cylinder,means for firing the compressedcharge, and a piston arranged in thesecond cylinder adapted to receive the impact of said explosion, saidimpact receiving piston being connected with said second cylinder, saidpiston being adapted to receive a cooling fluid.

11. In an internal combustion engine of the rotary type, the combinationwith a stationary shaft, of cylinders rotatable about the same, eachcylinder having inlet and outlet openings, means for supplying anexplosive charge to the first named cylinder, means within said cylinderfor efiecting compression, means for conveying the com pressed chargefrom the first cylinder to the second, together with means for retainingthe compressed charge Within the first named cylinder until apredetermined limit of compression is obtained, means for firing thecompressed charge in the second cylinder, means contained within saidcylinder for receiving impact and efiecting exhaustion, the said im actreceiving means being connected with t e cylinder whereby rotation iseiiected.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto an my signature. a

JAMES H. WAGJENHURST.

